I Found My Attachment to Greed

(Minghui.org) Greed is a human attachment that a cultivator must get rid of. I have been practicing Falun Dafa for more than 20 years and have been following Dafa’s principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance and letting go of the pursuit of self-interest, reputation, and sentimentality as much as possible. I didn’t think I had this attachment, but after reading Master Li’s (Dafa’s founder) recent lectures, I realized I had a greedy heart. That made me decide to write this sharing to expose my poor behavior and remind practitioners to watch out for this attachment.

I used to live in a village and bought many things at low prices. For example, I saved lots of money annually by buying farm-grown vegetables that were cheap and delicious. I also saved money purchasing items on sale at the neighborhood supermarket every weekend. I thought I could use the money I saved for Dafa projects. I had many other excuses to hide my greed.

When I moved to a big city earlier this year, I discovered that the vegetables were twice as expensive as the ones in the village. The markets here don’t offer any special offers or discounted prices on vegetables. When I looked back at my buying habits, I discovered I was greedy, but I didn’t realize it and allowed the attachment to grow. I was unhappy when I couldn’t find any bargains.

Greed is like a bottomless pit that can never be filled. I couldn’t control myself and became a prisoner to greed as time went on. Greed not only manifests itself materially but also mentally. When I worked on Dafa projects, I often talked about how easy it was to clarify the truth, how many people I had helped to awaken to the truth, and how many Dafa materials I had distributed and posted. I didn’t think of Master first or realize that Master does everything and that I merely went out and talked to people. I couldn’t have done anything if Master hadn’t made the arrangements and helped me. I took credit for everything Master did for me. What a dangerous thing to do!

Greed can make a cultivator disrespect Master and not believe in Dafa. When a cultivator thinks like this, he or she might utter arrogant thoughts or speak ill of Master and Dafa. What a horrible thought!

Master has spoken about practitioners who have become irrational. They could be controlled by bad elements and not know about it and thus dare to act rashly and abnormally. Their attachments are in line with the selfishness of the old universe, and they could lose the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to cultivate.

Please wake up quickly, as this is the last chance Master has given us to rectify ourselves. We must seize the opportunity!

Our cultivation is not over yet, which still gives us the opportunity to improve. I’m determined to correct my selfishness that does not meet the standards of Dafa. Starting from the small things, I no longer look for cheap things.

Master said,

“... if every one of us cultivates his inner self, examines his own xinxing to look for the causes of wrongdoing so as to do better next time, and considers others first when taking any action, human society will become better and morality will again rise.” (Lecture Nine, Zhuan Falun)

I want to follow Master’s teachings and be a better person. When I do things that validate Dafa now, I first ask for Master’s blessing so that I can do it with ease, and I don’t feel self-satisfied like I used to.

Fa-rectification has come to the end. After more than 20 years of cultivation, I shouldn’t have so many human attachments left, but I do. I’ve failed to meet Master’s expectations! From now on, I’ll study the Fa more, cultivate myself, do the three things well, and fulfill my vow.

This is my current understanding. Please correct me if anything is not on the Fa.